From: Steve Pinkston
Columbus
Slow down! That’s what you’ll hear as you speed up Lafayette Avenue well over the 30 mph posted speed limit. I’ll be the one yelling it.
I understand. Really, I do. You’re probably late for wherever you’re going next, or you want to beat the crowd where you’re going, but city streets have a posted speed limit of 30 mph for a reason. People live here. Dogs get walked on these streets. Bikes travel these streets. Kids play here. Everyday people turn the corner off 25th Street and Lafayette quickly turns into Daytona. Unfortunately, this problem isn’t isolated to Lafayette Avenue outside my house, it’s a problem on every downtown city street.
When I said I understand, I mean it. I used to be a habitual offender of driving 40 mph down Franklin. Between living on the LMS (Lafayette Motor Speedway) and watching my son run toward the street after a ball as a Chevy Caprice zooms by, I’ve changed my ways. For my safety, for my son’s safety, for you and your kid’s safety, I’m asking you all to change, too. Wherever you’re headed isn’t near as important as the lives of the people who live and play on these streets. Simply put, slow down.
So the next time you hammer the gas as you turn onto Lafayette, and you see some guy chasing you and yelling to slow down, take your foot off the gas. He’ll appreciate it and, most importantly, our streets will be safer for it.
